“All I can do is just focus, take it one day ahead and move on. Just keep proving to people that yes, I was a dumbass, and I may have been more extreme than others, but you can’t change that, just go one day at a time.”

Those were the words of Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson in a story written by NBCSports.com writer Rob Dauster just over a week ago at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy camp in Washington, D.C. With Henderson, the Rebels’ leading scorer in 2012-13, being the program’s lone senior the steps he takes from a maturity standpoint will have a major impact on whether or not Andy Kennedy’s team can return to the NCAA tournament.

“Since the season ended, we have talked a lot about Marshall taking a greater leadership role with our team. With that comes greater responsibility, and he must do a better job of living up to the high standard we expect from him and he desires from himself.”

In his first season at Ole Miss, Henderson averaged 20.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game for a team that won the school’s first SEC tournament title since 1981. As a result the Rebels made their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002, knocking off 5-seed Wisconsin before losing to 13-seed La Salle in the round of 32.

But for the impact Henderson had on the Ole Miss program from a production standpoint, the guard also displayed a rebellious (fitting) streak at certain points in the season. Two notable incidents were the jersey-popping brouhaha at Auburn, and his response to heckling fans following the La Salle defeat earned Henderson a public reprimand from the NCAA.

Ole Miss did not disclose the reason for Henderson’s suspension, but according to Gary Parrish of CBSSports.comit’s in relation to failed drug tests. Henderson’s had substance abuse issues in the past, landing in hot water over the use of counterfeit money to buy marijuana in 2010 and then spending time in jail in 2012 after violating the terms of his probation (testing positive for cocaine, marijuana and alcohol).

How long Henderson is suspended for (or if he even returns to the program) remains to be seen, but it’s more important to make sure he’s got everything squared away in his personal life before wondering when they can get him back on the court.